My body is thanking me for returning.

My brain on the other hand is still in California!  Of course we had a wonderful two weeks away from home visiting family and then drinking and eating our way through California.  First, I'd like to thank my awesome guest bloggers.  If you happened to miss any of these awesome ladies, check them out!

[Sneak peak!]

I'll be spending probably the rest of the summer breaking down our trip since we hit up so many amazing spots.  I have almost 600 pictures to filter through and edit, so I'll dedicate a couple of posts weekly.  While I'm in NC, I'm going to be quite the busy bee.  I accepted a new job which is eliminating my summer (I'll be starting July 9!), but I think it'll be worth it.  I'm also trying to get back on track with training.

My triathlon training has drastically failed.  I was planning to run this triathlon on August 12, the weekend of my birthday, but just noticed the race was pushed back a weekend.  I'm still going to try, but I am definitely overwhelmed by the amount of juggling sports that goes into tri training.  I miss running.

Crazily I won a free half marathon entry from Vanessa, so I figure it's meant to be for me to do another!  I'm actually really excited to get back into half training again!  While I'm getting back on track with exercise (after a quick trip to Charlottesville, VA today and tomorrow), D and I are considering something time-limited to kick start some better health.

I know Carrie and Whitney have participated in the Whole 30, and I've heard only good things from them.  It's a take on the Paleo diet that so many people have done/are doing.  I'm a bit nervous about Whole 30 due to its heavy focus on meat.  Since I'm a vegetarian, I focus a lot on legumes which are not allowed in this program.  If we decide on this one, I am planning to maybe make some small exceptions using only one or two varieties of beans and using only dried (not canned).

The second option I'm considering (which can essentially be done as part of the Whole 30), is a supplemental smoothie/juice plan.  I don't think it's realistic or smart for me to focus on a complete smoothie/juice diet, but I am interested in replacing 1-2 meals daily with a smoothie.

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This book focuses on replacing just one meal per day with a green smoothie or juice.  My problem with a plan such as this is simply...laziness.  I hate getting out a juicer/blender and dealing with the clean-up. My new job allows me more time in the mornings (and hopefully the ability to work out in the am!), so ideally I think I could make something like this work.  

Nonetheless, I want to get rid of the constant bloating I've been feeling since returning from California and kick some healthy lifestyle changes for D and I.  I'm interested in how Whole 30 will make me feel but am nervous it's a "quick fix" method (because, let's be honest, it's doubtful I will ever fully give up cheese).  I do think incorporating more smoothies and juices into my life is a great way to supplement my bean and starch eating vegetarian lifestyle with more fruits and veggies.

Have you tried Whole 30 or Paleo?  

What are your favorite smoothie/juice recipes?  And how do you beat the laziness of cleaning up after?!

Gotta get my bike on.

A while back, I talked about my tri necessities for swimming.  Let's pretend that I'm doing awesome with my training and not completely overwhelmed with work.  Learning how to ride a bike again biking is probably my favorite part of tri training.  It sucks that D's been in town, but his new bike has been out of commission.  Nonetheless, there are some really important necessities for biking long distances around town.

Step 1:  Find some sweet wheels.  I didn't have much any money to spend on a bike.  D was such a wonderful husband to help me out, but I couldn't break his bank either.  I found this beauty used on Craigslist for half the price!  She's categorized as a road bike which is perfect for what I'll be doing while training.  We did install a water bottle holder as well.  It's an adjustment getting used to the handle bars, but I love this bike for greenway riding.

Step 2:  Prepare for road collisions.  Yep, no chance I'm having another black-out experience after flying over my handle bars (true story)...not to mention any car that hits me will be a hell of a lot faster than my brother was on his bike.  I was not take the bike for a road spin without a helmet.  Sadly, helmets are expensive (again, thank you D).  You can get a pretty cool Schwinn for $20 on Amazon, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.  The Nishiki runs a bit more expensive.

Step 3:  Find a way to carry your inhaler pepper spray cell phone.  I have yet to get a good bike bag, but it's a necessity for long rides.  D got this one, which is surprisingly a perfect fit for the bike and everything I need.

Less necessities for biking than swimming, but more expensive.  I'm no pro so don't look to me for clip in cycle shoes or padded shorts (although I am totally considering this).

Any other biking accessories I'm missing?

Gotta get my swim on.

Remember I started training for a triathlon this month?

[Last week's training]

Before I started training, I knew I would need quite a few items.  I didn't have a bike or a "modest" swimsuit I felt comfortable donning at the YMCA.  When I finally got a swimsuit, I spent my first time swimming at the Y in Athens with my sisters.  I quickly realized I need a bit more swim gear!

Step 1: Don't get kicked out of the YMCA.  Swimsuits are one of those things that you really want to try on before buying.  I opted to check out the Nike Outlet, which had nothing.  Then I headed over to Dick's Sporting Goods.  Thank goodness I did try on; these bad boys like to run small.  I ended up with this Reebok suit.  I didn't want to spend too much on it since it's probably just my practice suit.  I'll likely look into more specialized triathlon gear closer to the race.

Step 2:  Be able to see the wall of the lane before you hit it.  Goggles must happen.  I ended up with the Speedo Vanquisher goggles.  What a surprise that they are considered "competition" goggles!  Boo ya!  This race is WON!

Step 3:  No water up the nose.  It's no secret I'm no great swimmer.  I might still have to hold my nose.  Why?  Who knows...I even took swim lessons as a kid.  I suppose I never mastered that art.  I figured my best bet is a nose plug.  Since lap swimming isn't full under-water, this may just give me one less thing to think about while pounding out the laps.  This TYR Ergo swim clip should do the trick!

Bike supplies are next on the list, and I'm still working on collecting all that gear!

Did I leave out any athletic swimming necessities??

It's time.

I have been a bit sporadic with my working out and running.  I made a training plan and had a lofty goal of running 8 races this year.  Um, yeah.  I ran none of those races so far.  Stress has caught up with me, and dishing out the race fee of $30+ has been used in better other ways.

Almost exactly a year ago, I made a commitment to run a half marathon.  Five months later, I did it.  It's time to make a new commitment.  I don't want to jump ahead to marathon status.  I want a bit of a change, a challenge.

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TRIATHLON!  This will be a major challenge for me.  Why?  Well I'm not a good swimmer or cyclist.  I don't even own a good bike.  I've been scouring Craigslist for a decent beginner road bike.  I purchased my first modest one-piece swim suit for swimming at the Y.  I'm working on building a training plan.

I am officially beginning the training as of April.  The tri's I'm looking at are in August.  I figure five months is plenty of time to train.  I still have to purchase more gear (because tri's take so much more "equipment" than running).  

Tell me, have you ever done a triathlon?  Any advice?